


everlong

by VanityRuins



Series: no more what ifs [4]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, also for drug use (interrogation scene), i will add more as i upload the chapters, tw for violence / blood / death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:49:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24900346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanityRuins/pseuds/VanityRuins
Summary: “Why not join me instead? All you’d have to do is abandon the teammates you have now.”"Fine by me.”AU where Akira betrays the PT to join Akechi in his crusade to kill Shido.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Series: no more what ifs [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538182
Comments: 84
Kudos: 253





	1. about illicit affairs

“Why not join me instead? All you’d have to do is abandon the teammates you have now.”

Something inside his eyes twinkled with mischief but despite the light tone Akira knew a joke when he heard one and this wasn’t one. He was seeing right through him, the curtains were open enough to take a peek inside the darkness behind them.

He didn’t think twice before diving right into the blackened sea.

“Fine by me.”

Akechi’s expression quickly moved from a genuine surprise to hysterical laughter. The crowd around them focused their eyes on his figure bending forward, a hand cupping his mouth trying to keep himself quiet — suffocating his emotions who were spilling all over the street. Akira stayed still though, as serious as he could be, trying to pinpoint Morgana from the multitude; already feeling paranoid over someone ear dropping on his confession.

As the detective brushed some tears off his face, the thief played with a strand of his hair. Was it his honesty that caused such a stir or maybe his stupidity for thinking he was going to allow him to join him on his macabre crusade?

Truth be told, they were days away from their casino’s heist and his brain couldn’t stop spinning around the idea of showing him the ace under his sleeve. He wanted to let Akechi know that he _knew_ about his betrayal and see how it went down from there. He would probably try to kill him right then on spot but there was still the possibility of making a new deal although, Akira understood his confidants more than himself and asking for help wasn’t one of Akechi’s most prominent traits. He would only let himself be vulnerable maybe, and it was a big maybe, if death was knocking on his door. 

Well, probably kicking the door open with an axe on its rotten hands. And it remained a big maybe even with that fact on mind.

“That was a good joke, I would change your codename from Joker to Buffoon if I were you.” Akechi’s plastic smile shone brighter than the lights all over Tokyo but even then Akira could see it flicker from time on time.

“I wasn’t joking, Akechi.”

Silence and then, another laugh started to came. This one sounded less overreacted but it made Akira’s heartstrings break with every vibration breaking free from Akechi’s mouth. It was a pained laugh, the one you let out after realizing that it doesn’t matter your choices you’re deemed to lose everything in the end.

“I want to help you to take down the person who’s controlling you. Allow me to do that.” Akira offered his hand to him as Akechi’s face morphed into a picture of perfect panic. His mind catching on with every word the other said. “If betraying my teammates is the only way, so be it.”

It took him a few seconds that lasted years to regain his composure, his detective prince act shattered like glass. He slapped Akira’s hand away from his sight and he took him by his arm, pushing him to the nearest alley. The people walking around them didn’t seem to pay too much attention to the image of Goro Akechi dragging some high school student by the arm, face bright red from rage.

“How much do you know?!” He inquired, anger engulfing his words.

“Enough.”

Akechi pressed his arm against Akira’s throat, it made the other grin as he held his hands up. Their quick change of dynamic made his stomach turn at the anticipation of a lethal threat; he didn’t know this side of Akechi until now and honestly, he liked it a lot.

“You better start talking before I kill you right here and now.” Akechi threatened him making him smile wider.

”You made a mistake. We know about your plan and we’re going to expose you and your boss to the world after our ‘final’ job as the Thieves.” Akira’s devilish grin tilted to a side, eyes glowing under his glasses with excitement, “Now, this is my offering: I will help you take down this person in any way you want and if I’m not being to bold to guess,” he closed his fingers around Akechi’s arm, “it will be dirty and bloody. I won’t involve my friends in that type of job...” he paused to look right into Akechi’s eyes, fingers like claws against the other’s clothes, “So, we do this. You and me. Do we have a deal?”

Akechi’s face softened only to be replaced by a cold demeanor a second after, “It won’t work.” His voice sounded robotic, Akira could see he was trying to bury his emotions under layers and layers of a practiced act. He supposed this was another side of him, one that was imposed to him by the adults who forced him to do their dirty job.

It made Akira’s gut twist with repulsion.

“It will work,” his throat started to get sore from the pressure, his voice came out hoarse but Akechi didn’t move, “we need a good plan. That person you’re working for must be the ruler of a palace and I bet you know it like the palm of your hand.”

The detective remained silent. The crowd passing by next to them didn’t seem to fix their eyes on the two figures way too close to each other at the alley but Akira did, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way their bodies seemed to cling to the other’s. His heartbeat drummed against the back of his ears everytime Akechi’s eyes looked back at him. He was about to betray his friends, the people who saved him as much as he saved them for him and still he didn’t feel regret.

He usually didn’t care much about anything at all since he got transfered to the city until he met him, all rose-colored cheeks and faked smiles. He would be lying if he didn’t admit that he used to agree with every mean commentary Ryuji said about the detective prince. The way he approached him, how he closed his hand against his that day at the TV station, everything about him felt like an annoying sting on his skin. 

He would’ve never imagined this turn of the events.

Everything Akechi was made was everything he wasn’t. His velvet like eyes were colder than ice, his tender grip against his shoulder whenever they were opening a chest box somewhere down the road in Mementos was strong enough to crush his throat if he wanted. Akira knew, he always knew but he refused to accept it. And in that moment, hiding his betrayal in a dark alley, he realized how both of them were the same. Two sides of the same coin.

“You need a good plan. We’re days away of our casino heist,” Akechi sighed with resignation, “it’s impossible.”

Akira rolled his eyes.

“I have an idea, it involves telling you all of our plan to counterattack you after you betray us. So,” he coughed for air, the pressure on his throat didn’t flick, “I would gladly share it with you if you decide to accept.”

“How do you know I won’t kill you after you tell me everything?” Akechi’s dark smile spread through his face.

“I will proceed with caution,” Akira smiled back, “obviously.”

Akechi’s arm pulled away, making Akira almost kneel on the floor gasping for air. He seemed to focus on something far away, beyond the crowd moving relentlessly around them.

“I think I’m interested in what you’re offering me, thief.” He looked back at him one more time, the glow inside his eyes burning brighter than ever. “I will wait for a call.”

Akira saw him walk away from the alley, his hand closed around his throat trying to calm the itching left. The detective stopped on his tracks but didn’t turn around, his voice floated like silk on the multicolored lights surrounding him like a halo.

“Don’t disappoint me.”

Minutes later, he vanished between the multitude leaving him there. Back against the cold wall of a dirty alley, hand on his throat and heart shattered on the floor. Akira fixed his image before jumping into the lights, his mind buzzing with dozens of possibilities and thoughts. When he saw Morgana he only managed to wave his hand, his voice coming out raspy and weak. He couldn’t distinguish if it was because of their episode or anguish trying to consume him whole.

“Did you catch a cold, Joker?” Morgana asked after hearing him cough a few times. It hurt, it really hurt.

“I think so...” Akira headed towards the station. Hands on his pockets and sight centered on the floor, he couldn’t stop thinking about him. The pain on his throat tightened.

“How did it go with Akechi?” Morgana’s voice overflowed with curiosity. Akira smiled, one of his sarcastic side smiles he couldn’t control quite right. “Oh, he doesn’t suspect anything of our plan then.”

Morgana waved his tail, malice coming from his playful voice. Akira closed his fingers against his throat one more time, his smile widening as he took the stairs to the line he took everyday.

“Nah, he doesn’t.” He said, arriving to the platform. The people came out of the subway like bees fumbling around their nest, pushing him out of their way as Akira made his way inside. He fixed his glasses before holding onto the bar at his left.

“Nobody does.”


	2. all my best lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why helping me? Why me?”
> 
> “Do I need a reason to help a friend?” He lied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you all for the feedback, it made my heart melt literally.  
> I hope you like this chapter, next will be centered around the interrogation after Sae’s palace so it will be longer and heavier so yeah. Sorry in advance.

Mementos’ atmosphere felt heavier than before, glowing violent red throbbed insistently making Akira feel lightheaded.

Akechi launched against him, striking him down quickly with his blue lightsaber. His speed wasn’t a match for Akira’s reflexes even though, he could still give him a good fight. He pulled a hidden knife from under his coat, launching it right into Akechi’s face knowing too damn well that he was going to dodge it gracefully — just like everything he did.

Akechi’s smile widened as he pushed Akira against the floor, his shoulders hit the rails with a loud tud leaving his lungs out of oxygen. The detective pressed his boot against Akira’s chest, sinking him further into the reddish dirt all over Mementos’ floor. His eyes burning wild under his mask reflected his soul for a second, right when the sword set right next to Akira’s neck. The buzzing coming from the lightsaber accompanied with the distinctive heat it produced painted half of Akira’s face in blue.

Despite it all, the thief smiled back at his opponent. Almost mocking him as he rolled his eyes.

“I could kill you right here and now,” Akechi tilted his head, his long mask dangerously pointing at one of Akira’s eyes, “but I know that cat is waiting for you outside.”

The boot started to sink into his ribs even deeper, Akira’s smile didn’t flicker.

“You need to be faster to defeat me, you need to predict every movement.” The lightsaber reached closer to Akira’s neck, his skin started to itch. “If you’re going to fight Shido, I’m sure he has a security system and I can assure you I will be there.”

“It seems you’ve been doing your homework, detective.” He closed one of his hands against Akechi’s ankle, trying to stop his boot from breaking his ribs. It didn’t work like he expected, the pressure got worst.

“It’s the least I can do.” He commented like if he weren’t asphyxiating the other against a subway rail, he pushed a strand of hair out of his face with his free hand. “I got you a map of his palace. I think you’re going to be able to go through the only entrance easily if I give you an authorization. Despite all, he placed his trust on me for now.”

Since their talk at the alley, they’ve been meeting everyday in Mementos to exchange information and to create a plan. They couldn’t get too much further since their deadline from Sae’s started to close around their necks like a rope. But they had a plan for that heist too, it didn’t take them much to formulate one once Akira confessed about Futaba’s hacking into Akechi’s phone. Everything was going to proceed like it was supposed too — once the moment arrived, they were going to improvise whatever fit best for their situation. Even if his confidant hated that part of their strategy, neither knew how the arrest would develop, there was still a vague possibility that it could go south. If something could go wrong, in Akira’s experience, it could always get worst.

There wasn’t a guarantee regarding his safety. Akechi babbled about giving strict orders to the guards one evening after class and Akira couldn’t help but look far away, past his clever eyes. The worst part wasn’t that his life was in danger not because he was taking a stand alongside his rival but also because his enemy’s pawns still saw him as a threat. He chuckled to himself as his hands picked up a red dress from a pile that could quickly cover the underground mall and passed it to Ann who dragged them along to a shopping break.

Akechi’s eyebrows raised, inquiring, and Akira dismissed the subject easily as he pretended to look for clothes that could fit his friend.

There were things he couldn’t say, at least, not yet. Not to him.

The lack of oxygen and the agonizing pain from his ribs pushed him back to reality as he took his chance at the same moment Akechi fixed his eyes on something beyond his figure, it always happened when they were talking about Shido and their plan to take him down. He got distracted, anxious and his guard shattered into pieces.

Akechi lost his balance when Akira pushed his leg to a side, rolling away from him and easily slipping behind his figure. A dagger lurked around the detective’s throat, making him drop his lightsaber as he started to chuckle.

“That was good,” he admitted, “but if you’re waiting for the enemy to take you down before you counterattack, you’re going to get hurt.”

“I don’t really think much when I’m fighting.” Akira shrugged. His body coming closer to the other’s, his breath ghosting against Akechi’s neck.

“You should.” He replied softly.

Akira took a step back and saved his dagger before Akechi turned around, he could see the sweat around his forehead. They’ve been down there for almost two hours, sparring in Mementos caused him to lose track of time until his muscles started to ache from the excessive work.

He sat against the floor, laying his head against the rails this time as he watched the darkness coming from the tunnels around them before closing his eyes. His mind kept pushing back and forth the idea of being vulnerable in front of Akechi but one side of him furiously highlighted that they were allies. 

_For now_ , Akira spit back to himself.

These past days he learnt many new thing about the detective; it covered a wide range like his favorite place to read a book or how to induce a psychotic breakdown to someone. His favorite was the fact that he knew most of the songs playing on the radio at the moment and his least favorite was that he was a lonely person despite always being surrounded by people. He secretly joked to himself about his Goro Akechi trivia but deep inside he couldn’t help but feel a warm sensation at the thought of the detective letting him peek through the cracks of his armor.

They were close before, way too close for someone like Akira who is (and soon to be was) a phantom thief. He couldn’t imagine that they could get closer until it started to happen, little by little, their bond strengthened in just a few days. It wasn’t only their shared laughters at silly jokes or the way their shoulders brushed at the train station, Akira’s heart rate increased everytime the other boy walked closer to him making him feel like an idiot. He wasn’t oblivious to what _it_ meant but he refused to accept the symptoms, as if ignoring them could make the feelings and late night thoughts go away.

It was one sided, anyways. Akechi wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if he had the chance and here he was developing romantic sentiments for the hitman slash detective prince. Akira tried to be honest as much as he could to himself, it caused him trouble more than anything but right then with a palace and a murder conspiration on their horizons he knew that lying would be the perfect path for him to take. Even if it costed him his heart.

“Can I ask you something?” Akechi’s voice echoed through the tunnels. Akira hummed in response, eyes still closed tight. “Why are you doing this? I know you have a reason to kill Shido but...”

Akira opened one eye at the sudden silence, one eyebrow raising asking the detective to keep going even though he already knew what was he trying to ask.

“I mean, let me reformulate that...” Akechi’s nervousness caught him out of guard, a wide smile tried to make its way onto his face but Akira didn’t let it pass through. He kept his usual poker face on as he saw the other tap the floor anxiously, pacing back and forth around in circles until he finally sat down next him. “Why helping me? Why me?”

Akira felt an arrow piercing through his chest at the same time Akechi’s lips pressed tight, forming a thin line. He hit jackpot with just a few words, he could feel himself getting ready to run away from the situation, glowing red walls acting as a siren. 

“Do I need a reason to help a friend?” He lied.

Akechi huffed and removed his mask, throwing it far away. “You’re right. I can’t demand honesty when I’m hiding something from you.”

Akira’s face didn’t flinch but he tilted his head, doubt manifesting inside his eyes. Akechi didn’t move but something around him started to change as a shadow appeared behind him. His clothes, marble white, slowly started to paint in black and purple as the Persona behind him became a solid figure and not just a blurry fog. It looked powerful, fierce and terrifying — crimson blade spinning like a broken clock reminded him of the cruelty and despair the passing of time brought to everyone. You never knew when the wheels of fate were going to stop spinning until it was too late.

Akira stared at Akechi’s new outfit and Persona with something closer to admiration than fear. The detective removed a black helmet that covered his head and placed it next to him, his smile resembled the coldness of a winter night. Perfectly concealing the hurt, the lies and deceptions. 

“This is me.” Akira learnt to pinpoint the tiny changes around his tone, this time he could find sadness lurking around the flashy phrase. 

“This is _also_ you.” He corrected him. Akechi’s eyes opened wide and then he let out a soft chuckle, black gloves covered his mouth trying to smother his laughter.

“You’re truly extraordinary.” He confessed as his Persona vanished taking Akira’s anxiety with it, he didn’t really like the way his blade was always spinning. Akechi moved slowly next to him, making him tense at the sudden change of atmosphere until he realized that he was trying to lay next to him. His head rested against the rail, his body next to Akira’s as they both stared at the black roof of Mementos. 

They remained in silence for a few minutes, Akira could only hear his own heartbeat hammering against his chest at the proximity, their fingers were closer, barely touching, but neither wanted to ruin the moment by moving their hands. The lights sparkling upon them didn’t blind them enough to forget their responsabilities but for a few seconds, both felt like if they could disappear and nothing would matter anymore.

Akira turned his head to a side and stared at Akechi who was already with his eyes fixed on him, when there wasn’t anyone around his face seemed to change to sharp edges and cold skin. The black void under his eyelashes swallowed all the colors that tried to illuminate it only allowing red to stay. He felt his fingers twitching, craving to caress his cheeks and remove the tiny hairs sticking onto his forehead.

He felt brave enough to swim in the dark when he was next to him, it was a dangerous habit for a reckless person such like Akira. Once he started to push his fear aside and swallowed all the black in one sip, something inside him awakened. It was always there, he said to himself, that part of him was chained inside him but now he was finally letting himself be free. It wasn’t the rehabilitation they wanted for him but it was the one that he choose. It was all thanks to Akechi, it was all because of Akechi.

“Tell me,” Akechi’s voice soothed him like a lullaby, “why are you dooming yourself for me?”

Akira’s eyes twitched in pain at the choice of words. Akechi showed him his dark side and now he wanted him to do the same for him, he realized that just like his; Akechi’s soul was changing too. He could feel his breath against his lips, their fingers were slowly tangling around the other’s and for a few seconds, Akira forgot that they were laying on a subway rail with their heads against the cold metal like two lovers waiting for their inevitable demise.

He pulled out the dagger he saved under his sleeve before and placed it against Akechi’s side, he pinched his skin but not strong enough to break it. Akechi’s face got crossed by surprise and then his gesture softened, tenderness inside his irises contrasting with a demonic smile that was all fangs and death threats.

“You let your guard down.” Akira replied evading his question as he quickly stood up, fingers clinging like claws onto the weapon.

Akechi followed his movements, standing next to him and taking his wrist. He lifted it until the blade aimed directly into his heart.

“That’s where you should be aiming.” He corrected him, his walls were up again for Akira’s comfort. He couldn’t keep swaying away his questions without facing consequences.

“Noted.”

Akira hid the dagger one last time as he started to walk to the entrance of Mementos. He could hear the other’s footsteps behind him, his hair sticked against his mask making his skin itch underneath it but he refused to take it off.

Guilt started to fill his stomach but he told to himself that it was the best for both of them to keep their distances. If Akechi knew about his reason, he would kill him on spot or worst he would make fun of him for his brainless sentimentality. He could handle a heartbreak but he could not handle losing him, at least, not until he was safe and Shido was rooting underground.

Until then, he will swallow all the untold truths and chew on the butterflies forming inside his chest. Maybe when it was all over he could confess and let the detective break his heart into pieces.

It sounded like a heavenly way to die.

“What’s the name?” Akira said, interrupting their silence at the sight of the stairs.

“Huh?” Akechi’s eyebrows furrowed and then he realized, he rolled his eyes and sighed. “Why do you care? It’s Loki.”

Akira giggled as he pulled out his phone to get them out of there. “It fits you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

As Akira’s joker outfit started to morph back into his Shujin uniform and the world around him crumbled back into the station, he gave the detective a knowing grin.

“You know what it means.” He mumbled, welcoming reality back; Mementos’ lights and shadows way behind them.

And despite that he could still feel the weight of a dagger under his sleeve, dangerously hanging loose, threatening to fall just like a secret ace under a cheater’s suit


	3. one light, two shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You look like shit.” Akechi’s voice sounded far away. Akira tried to bring back his own self to his body but all he could smell was the peculiar metallic scent of blood and gunpowder. 
> 
> “I feel like shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapters will be highkey really sad but after that I will start with Shido's palace.  
> I don't really have much to add here so, I hope you enjoy!

Sae left the interrogation room, phone in hand as she promised Akira to see him again. He doubted she would.

His head was spinning and everything hurt, he must’ve had a few broken ribs because breathing felt like an agony. He managed to remember the few details about his plan with the Thieves’ and also about the one he had with Akechi. Now it was only matter of time until the detective made his way there.

He laid his head against the cold table, eyes pressed tight as he felt his body shivering from the excessive amount of drugs and stress he was under. He wasn’t expecting those cops to beat the crap out of him but he should have been ready for it. Despite Akechi’s empty promises of talking to them, he knew they weren’t going to obey a teenager — adults never heard them and Akechi wasn’t the exception just because he managed to blend with them.

Akira’s stomach started to ache making him feel nauseous, with every passing second he wondered about his plan. He started thinking about their escape route, about gathering enough strength to walk away from that room, about Akechi and his true intentions, about his friends and his parents. He kept thinking, thinking and thinking until tears overflowed his face making him sob against harsh, cold and empty metal.

This was it, he thought, if Akechi didn’t kill him when he walked into the room he was going to disband the thieves by his own. There was no vote, his will as the only judge.

Minutes passed by as hours, he couldn’t stop crying in silence; the knot clogging his throat started to feel like a piece of glass. He knew this was a defining moment for his fate, for his life and his future. He wasn’t regretting any part of it, he realized he was mourning his losses before they even happened. Akira couldn’t allow himself to take a step back when Akechi’s life was on the line, leaving his own stupid desire of revenge against Shido what it mattered to him was helping the detective.

He was alone since day one, he never had friends or someone to lend him a hand; only adults manipulating and using him for their own gain. Akechi was everything he could’ve ever been if he never met Ryuji that morning before class. He refused to let him fall, he wouldn’t forgive himself for it.

He swallowed his tears as he tried to clean his face, his hands were covered in cuts and swollen places, his right pinky started to turn dark purple after that cop stepped on it. He tried to move it but he couldn’t feel it, it was numb just like his heart. Akira removed blood, sweat and tears from his messed up face at the same time he heard footsteps coming closer to his position.

A few voices traded words outside making him tense against the chair before Akechi and a guard walked inside. He looked at the detective, eyes following his figure like magnets — even with his face all bloated from the beatdown, he managed to see him crystal clear. He always found a way to do it, it started out of pure precaution but now it bordered the thin line between obsession and fascination. From the day his figure was covered in lights at the TV studio, two women clinging against him covering his face with makeup and brushing his long hair insistently until hours ago, when they were fighting Sae’s shadow and Akechi was gracefully landing attack after attack; he couldn’t stop staring. And he kept doing it even after he stole the guard’s gun and shot him straight in the head. Blood, brain and skull exploding in front of them. Akira kept his eyes fixed on Akechi’s face as if nothing happened, as if the person dropping dead with half of his head open was just a mannequin. It was part of their plan, he knew that very well but still he hoped for a sentiment of repulsion or something else; he wasn’t expecting that numb emptiness. 

Akechi removed a small bloodstain from his chin with his black gloves, his eyes lacked human emotion as if he disconnected his soul from his body until he saved the gun under his coat and stared back at Akira’s trembling figure at the center of the room. There was a distinctive gap between the boy who killed in cold blood seconds ago and the one who kneeled next to Akira, blood covered fingers resting on his cheek as he checked on his injuries.

“You look like shit.” Akechi’s voice sounded far away. Akira tried to bring back his own self to his body but all he could smell was the peculiar metallic scent of blood and gunpowder. 

“I feel like shit.” Akira could hear himself saying as Akechi extended a hand and helped him stand.

His whole body was shaking uncontrollably from pain and stress, he only lasted a few seconds before collapsing against the other’s body.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Akechi’s arm covered his waist and carried him to the entrance but Akira was too busy staring at the corpse at their feet to reply.

He didn’t know why, he blamed it on the amount of true crime documentaries he used to watch with Makoto but in that moment, something sparkled inside his brain. He stopped Akechi’s hand, grabbing his fingers and pushing them away from the doorknob earning a confused stare from his companion. Empty foreign eyes looked back at the detective’s and with the certainty of a trained assassin he pointed at the body.

“We need to take care of that,” Akechi’s eyes followed Akira’s bloody fingers, it looked painful but he didn’t seem to care anymore, “did you make sure you’re out of the Metaverse?”

“Yes, I did but...” Akechi’s hand on his waist kept him on place even though Akira had his whole body laying against the door. Not allowing them to escape. “What are you planning?”

Bruises were starting to spread around clear skin like the sea washed over the shore, Akechi didn’t know Akira’s eyes were closer to black than gray until he looked closely in that moment. His pupils covered everything like a dark sun exploding through a cloudy sky. Akira’s fingers gripped Akechi’s shoulders, the smell of blood was making their stomach twist inside their bodies. “They’ll look for me, we need to fake my death. I need you to open the Metaverse now.”

The other boy was hit with realization at the same moment his hands looked for his phone to follow the now ex-thief’s command. Akira’s tight grip against his shoulder and his constant trembling started to unsettle him but he complied — they were in this mess together, they only had each other from now on. The metaverse covered their reality but nothing around them changed, Akira took two steps back, stumbling like a drunk man at 4 A.M. before walking closer to the guard laying in front of the interrogation table. A big stain of blood spread like spilled wine all over the floor, his head throbbed making his nausea even worst.

Akechi stared mesmerized from his position next to the door, phone still on his hand, as Arsene appeared behind Akira’s figure. With a single attack, the body got covered in flames as Akira watched it burn with an indifference out of character from him. The red and sometimes pink flames reduced the corpse to ashes, Akechi covered his mouth with his free hand trying to reduce the stench from getting into his nose.

Fire seemed to purge all the emptiness away from Akira’s soul or at least for a few seconds, enough time for him to mourn the last person he had left. He couldn’t look back at the other boy but he could sense his eyes piercing him, he wondered if he could’ve predicted this. He wondered if he was afraid of him. His blurry vision showed him only fire and ashes, in a poetic sense he saw this as burning his old self down; in a realistic sense, he saw it as covering someone’s else crime.

The fire painted his face with shadows stark enough to cover the smooth areas of his skin. And for the first time in the night, his heartbeat seemed to normalize. Arsene vanished, leaving Akira standing right there all by himself covered by ashes and blood he couldn’t even tell if it was his or not. When he looked back at the detective, the other had a weak smile painted on his lips.

“It’s okay now,” he told him, “we can leave through the Metaverse. It will be safer.”

Akechi’s eyes flickered with precaution as he extended one hand, black gloves still shining with someone’s else blood. Akira’s finger interlaced with his as he opened the door and they left to, hopefully, never come back.

The hallway was empty, the streets were empty too and their hands remained intertwined through the whole trip to Akechi’s apartment. Akira couldn’t remember much, he was sweating despite the cold weather and the freezing shine of the stars. The other boy tried to get him talking as he carried him through dark alleys, leaving the Metaverse right after they walked away from the police station. 

“We’re almost there.”

Akechi’s grip seemed to have him tied to reality, the lights all around them were making him nauseous. 

“Can you give me a second?” Akira let go of the other’s hand as he sprinted to a side of the sidewalk. His ribs ached at the effort his stomach made to throw up. This was the worst night of his life.

Akechi made a face at the sight before pulling a tissue from inside his pockets and he tossed it next to him. 

“It’s better if you do this instead of overdosing. I can’t believe those shitheads injected you to get you talking.” Akira took the tissue from the ground and he started to clean his lips, his hands still trembling. “It didn’t took me much to get you confessing everything.”

“You’re the detective prince, remember?” 

A smile and then strong hands picked him up from the ground. Akira let out a grunt, Akechi’s arms pressed tight against his ribs making him hurt.

“Ready?”

“Uh, actually,” his right eye could only distinguish lights and shadows; bruises beginning to settle, “it hurts a bit.”

Akechi let go of him slowly and offered him his arm, “Your ribs must be broken. What did they do to you?”

Akira’s hand closed around the other’s bicep. He refused to reply to that, it made his mouth go dry. Rage and angst covered it all.

They started walking to Akechi’s apartment again, not a single complain came out of the detective’s mouth about his silence.

The streets started to blur again, at some point their steps changed; Akechi paused to open the entrance door for Akira. They arrived to their location and he couldn’t feel more relieved because he was still high with those stupid drugs. Akechi helped him get into the elevator and almost dragged him to his living room, making him settle in his couch as he disappeared into what it seemed to be a bathroom.

Akechi’s apartment remained in the shadows except for the room Akira was. It had white walls and almost nothing seemed to attract his attention except for the books pilled up on a small table in front of him. The letters weren’t clear enough for his drugged brain but the bright red from the marker pointing out almost hypnotized him. A single red line in between dusted colors.

The detective came out of the bathroom with a lot of things Akira recognized as part of a first aid kit. He kneeled next to him and removed his gloves, tossing them on the table as his warm hands closed around Akira’s.

“Fuck, one of your fingers looks horrible.”

Akira tried to move it again but decided to stop immediately, he gasped at the electrifying pain coming from inside his bone.

“Is it broken?”

Akechi shrugged, “I don’t know but I will tie this around it. Try to not use it for at least a week? Fuck if I know, I’ve never been hurt in missions.”

“How are you going to do this then?”

“Do you want to go to a hospital? They’re looking for you. I wouldn’t come near anyone for a few weeks if I were you.”

Akira decided to let his mouth shut as Akechi took care of his hands, his tender gestures contrasting with Akira’s cold and broken hands. His brain spinned and spinned around his head but somehow he couldn’t look away from the other’s long eyelashes and lips; he bit them whenever he saw a new injury, a new cut, a new bruise. He was a mess, heart beating fast at the closeness despite the torturing pain washing his body in waves.

“Remove your shirt.” Akechi stood up and started to look for a new bandage on his kit.

“Wow, I usually like a date first.”

“If you have time to joke, then you can remove your shirt by yourself.”

Akira smiled, he tried to move but his body paralyzed him. “I can’t.”

Akechi’s eyes fixed on him, he stared for a few seconds before sighing and helping him remove his clothes. His torso was covered in bruises, there was only purple and blue all over his chest and ribs. Akechi clenched his fists as his sight got covered by rage.

“I will make them pay. I swear.” He grunted, starting to cover Akira’s cuts with bandages. A hand rested against the darkest bruise, fingertips soothing the area as the other shivered under his touch. “Now we need time for you to recover before we can strike them down.”

Akira covered Akechi’s hands with his, they stopped trembling as soon as they stepped into his apartment. He looked at him, focusing his blurry sight only to find joy drowning in the raging red sea inside his eyes.

“I will be okay,” he whispered, “we will be okay.”

Akechi’s lips wavered, he looked down and then up again. As he begun to come closer to the other boy’s face, their lips almost brushing, he could feel the heartbeat inside his chest accelerating at the same rate as Akira’s. The darkness around his apartment protected them, making them feel safe for now and for a few minutes he though this was a good idea. Akira was about to close the gap in between their mouths but the detective’s phone started to buzz.

Akechi jumped away from Akira as if he was launched, distance settling between them again in an uncomfortable silence only interrupted by Akechi’s gasp at the reminding of his phone still making noises. He took it from the table and left to the bathroom, Akira didn’t have to think much to guess that it was Shido the person behind the call. He could notice the way Akechi’s eyes turned into stone at the sight of the ID displayed on the bright screen.

He picked up a remote laying next to him and turned on the TV. The news channel had a breaking news spam all over the place before the reporter appeared. Akira’s heart sunk deep into his stomach, tears started to fall from both bruised eyes.

**END OF THE PHANTOM THIEVES? LEADER FOUND DEAD.**


	4. with all the heartache and the treason, the fantasies of leaving.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I trust you will be wise and avoid talking to other people."
> 
> Akira nodded, face almost sinking inside his coffee mug. Akechi repeated the consequences of getting caught and, spoiler alert: they were all bad. So, he left his cup against the table and with his glasses stained by the heat he promised he was going to avoid everyone who tried to reach to him.
> 
> He was such a fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really sad to write, that's all I have to say about it lmao  
> Thank you for your comments, they make me very happy and help me to focus on keep writing this fic.  
> I hope you enjoy!

Akira almost started to get used to Akechi’s apartment after a few days around. He barely saw him; the detective was always busy with interviews, investigations and exploring Shido’s palace or working for him. It started to get lonely around week two.

He used to sit and watch a messy board Akechi made with all the Phantom Thieves’ clues he had. Pictures, newspaper articles, all of them tied with a red string that reminded Akira of an overused love trope in Ann’s favorite dramas. He liked admiring Akechi’s dedication, almost bordering obsession, to catch them and expose them; keeping a special interest on the post-it notes he wrote about every one of his ex-teammates. It disappointed him to see that there wasn’t much about him.

A few isolated pics about him taken from his court record — a truly tragic time from his teenage years — had all the strings spreading across the board like a master of puppets. Only one of Ann’s posts had a single post-it on top of it; it was from where she took a pic of him and Ryuji buying ice cream after class, Morgana’s tail could be seen from inside his bag as Ryuji handed him a couple of coins. It hurt to remember it all but not as much as the first days, his scars were still open and bleeding but he felt empty.

Despite that, the word ‘FRIENDS?’ handwritten on a yellow paper and being attached to that precise picture made his eyes water.

Akechi usually arrived before 10 P.M. and didn’t talk to him until he managed to take one of his half hour long showers. Afterwards, he jumped next to his side and watched TV until Akira reminded him he made dinner hours ago.

“You don’t have to.” He always replied.

Regardless, Akira kept doing it.

It could have been a happy ever after but he was used to fate screwing his life for worst. The morning he saw Shido’s announcement for his campaign, something inside his soul broke. He could feel hate, anger and a black poisoned feeling trying to come out of his mouth. They didn’t have time; at least, not much.

Their sketchbook, their maps and many weapons remained inside Akechi’s room and every night Akira walked in and sat there in the dark, caressing the guns, his old familiar knives and ink stained papers as he heard sirens going on and off outside. Akechi never seemed to wake up because he was already awake. It hurt that they both pretended nothing was happening; their almost kiss long forgotten in between small talks and avoided stares.

The first days he slept in Akechi’s bed due to his injuries, the detective used to check on him at night and then come back to the couch. At the first sight of a dim light coming from under the room’s door, Akira made sure to close his eyes and pretend his insomniac brain finally caught some peace in the unconscious realm of dreams. Sometimes, on lucky nights, he used to wake up at the other sitting next to him, long fingers curling around his hair and he wanted to try and open his eyes but he never did.

Their game started to tear his soul apart, both knowing to well that if they took that step there weren’t any possibilities of regretting it later. The road ahead was new, mysterious and treacherous — they weren’t brave enough to face it.

He managed to leave the apartment at around week number three, Akechi bought him new clothes the day before (already tired of seeing Akira with his yoga pants and oversized hoodies) and told him to be careful. Akira thought since he was an ace detective, he should’ve known him better by that time but that wasn’t the case. The first thing he did was walk around Yongen, hands inside his pockets as he looked for something. A loud laugh, a restless cat tail, anything.

But as always, no one heard him screaming for help. Not a single soul.

A day after, he decided to walk around the theatre. A new horror movie about people facing a copy of themselves was screening; he almost laughed at the irony. He didn’t know where his shadow ended and where his true soul began, he barely felt as Akira Kurusu anymore. He walked through the alley, a characteristical blue sparkled at the corner of his eyes but he couldn’t reach for it. His hands tried to close around the jail bars only for the glowing to fade in between his fingers.

“Are you okay?” a familiar voice startled him. He turned around to see Iwai removing a plastic bag full of trash, his heart skipped a beat as Akechi’s words echoed inside his mind.

_"I trust you will be wise and avoid talking to other people."_

_Akira nodded, face almost sinking inside his coffee mug. Akechi repeated the consequences of getting caught and, spoiler alert: they were all bad. So, he left his cup against the table and with his glasses stained by the heat he promised he was going to avoid everyone who tried to reach to him._

He was such a fool.

Iwai looked at him for a few seconds before his face changed, he muted a curse as he ran to his position.

“Kid?!” his hands closed around his shoulders, it still hurt but he managed to stay silent.

“I can’t be here,” he muttered unconsciously, “I’m sorry I made a mistake.” Akechi’s face flashed through his brain, disappointed stare and furrowed eyebrows. His mouth only managed to spit apologies to the mental image as the other man dragged him inside the store. Akira’s hands were shaking.

He fucked up. He fucked up big time.

“I can help you,” Iwai let him sit on his chair, “it’s okay, kid. I don’t know what happened but I can find a way to help you.”

Akira stared at him, he remembered Iwai’s son and started to move his head from side to side. He didn’t want to drag anyone else into his mess, he already had a war raging inside his brain for abandoning his teammates and now this. No fucking way.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

_"Yet?"_

_Akira jumped on his seat at the high pitched word leaving Akechi's mouth. "_ _At some point, I will have to buy weapons or get medicine and I need to reach to my contacts for that. I can promise you I won't talk to anyone yet. That's it."_

_He watched him fix his tie, black gloves on as he rolled his eyes. "You don't even exist in this world anymore, if anyone still believes you're alive then they'll treat you as a traitor and a murderer. We can find a different way to get supplies for our next mission."_

_His stomach dropped at the reminding, he could still feel the fire touching his cheeks and the blood staining his hands._

Akira dropped his sight at his fingers; they weren't covered in ashes or red fluids. He could almost feel the anxiety attack hitting on every nerve inside his body. He remembered to count, he tried to pick colors and smells but everything around him was metal, gunpowder and weapons.

“Fine. But at least, let me help you.” The other man replied. What was the conversation about again?

He felt so alone in the moment, Iwai’s store felt like a freezer and he felt as if all the guns were aiming at his head like a renaissance painting from one of Yusuke’s art books. Akira thought he knew himself better by then. But one more time, he was wrong.

He left the store a few hours later, hands still shaking but at least he could walk by himself. He wandered around the city before going back to Akechi’s place, he was really tired of staying inside all day plotting his revenge against Shido. The people around him were running around and whispering about someone giving a speech, it didn’t take him too much to follow a few of them until he was back again into Yongen’s streets.

A man stood tall in front of a crowd, his figure and voice almost made him go down into another anxiety attack. There goes my Shido-less day, Akira thought. He didn’t bother staying to hear his empty promises, he started to feel the panic creeping through one more time so he decided to go to the only place he could call home. At least, for the past month.

He arrived at the TV Station with his head covered in a thick fog; his hands didn’t trembled as he broke inside the building using the back door. It almost surprised him that it was unlocked, though.

Akechi told him he had an interview and that he was going to spend at least three hours inside the guest room eating sweets, snacks and whatever the staff brought him to keep him entertained. Akira found the whole thing funny but also childish, he kept forgetting Akechi was only a year older than him and not some adult who looked like a teenager even though that was the image he tried to sell.

The door that read GUEST and had a big and ugly gold star painted was locked, for his own demise. Luckily, it took him a few minutes to see the detective’s figure across the hallway right before it sprinted at him; eyes glowing red with rage. Akira covered his fear with a smug grin.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

“I wanted to visit you,” he lied, “besides I was bored of walking around the city and I didn’t want to go back at your place.”

Akechi used a magnetic card to unlock the door and pushed him inside.

“This is really, really stupid. Did you talk to the guard at the front?” He removed his gloves and tossed them on Akira’s face.

“Nope.”

“You broke into a private property just because you were bored.”

“Not my worst crime.” He saved the gloves inside his pockets and smiled at the other boy, panic disappearing from his veins as if never were there. “Also, I wanted to see you.”

Akechi rolled his eyes but he couldn’t hide the pink around his cheeks.

A hit on the door startled them. Akechi made a motion to Akira to go and hide somewhere around the room although he just stood still next to the door, not being able to see who was behind it but he was able to watch the detective’s face and he saw how his eyes hardened, his mouth became a thin line. He didn’t seem happy to see what he was seeing.

“Why are you here?” He asked one more time, Akira almost wanted to take a peek out of pure curiosity.

“We want to talk.”

And in that moment, Akira’s heart stopped for a few seconds.

“About what?”

“About Akira. We know he is alive, ” Makoto said, “and that he is with you.”

Akechi let out a sarcastic laugh, “I shouldn’t be the one deciding that. Why don’t you ask him if he wants to talk to you?”

“Well, ask him yourself. We know he is inside that room hearing everything now.”

Akechi’s eyes looked to his side, for a mere second Akira could see pity inside them. He let out a sigh and tried to regain control from his body, he knew he had to face this but it was too soon. It is always too soon when you’re seventeen and your mistakes already defined your future. He nodded, regardless of the voice inside his mind telling him to escape. He had to face this now or never.

Akechi let the Thieves get in, all of them looked at Akira with the same eyes his classmates had when he just arrived. He wanted to scream for forgiveness but he held his tongue inside his mouth. He already said too much at Iwai hours ago; he wasn’t going to sink deeper.

Makoto, Ann, Futaba and Yusuke looked at Akechi closing the door as Akira walked around the room like a caged bird.

“Where are the others?” Akechi asked, breaking the ice. Eyes following Akira like a cat reaching to check on their prey.

“Morgana and Haru are at Leblanc’s, Morgana isn’t feeling too well...” Makoto put a hand on Futaba’s mouth.

“Ryuji didn’t want to come. He had enough of this mess.” She sounded cold as ice, Futaba stared at her shoes behind her.

Ann walked through the Thieves, eyes filled with tears, as she stood in front of Akira’s figure. The slap echoed through the room as everyone stared; perplexed faces surrounded the two.

“How could you?!” Ann’s voice broke at the last word, Akira’s head hanged low but not enough for his cheek to be hidden by his hoodie. It started to turn crimson red. “I don’t care if you wanted us to stop working as Thieves but faking your death?! Making us believe for a month that you were death?!”

Makoto appeared to stand next to Ann, she held her shoulders as the other spit word after word as knives against Akira’s back. Akechi didn’t move from his position against the door, eyes scanning the room but always focused on the other boy.

“Do you know how Soujiro feels?!” She continued, Futaba sobbed loudly from behind. Akira’s heart started to break into pieces but still he couldn’t cry. His eyes were dry as his soul. “He had to apologize to your parents! For christ’s sake, Akira, your parents!”

“Ann, please...” Makoto tried to push her back but Ann didn’t move.

“Can you look back at us?! It’s the least you can do after what happened!”

“Are they here?” Akira’s voice sounded small, a poor imitation of his usual confident self. “My parents? Are they here?”

“They went back to your hometown this morning.” Yusuke replied coldly. “They took the ashes of god knows who to your home thinking it was you.”

Akira took a deep breath, he couldn’t look back at their disappointed faces, his heart couldn’t handle any more pain. For the first time, he felt he didn’t belong around them and it devastated him. It ripped him apart.

“It was the only way,” he whispered, telling himself out loud the same poor excuse he threw away everytime he started to feel a void swallowing him whole from inside out.

Ann sighed out loud, Akira could hear her walking away but still his eyes only looked at his feet.

“I can’t do this,” she sobbed, “I’m sorry, I want to leave. Please, I can’t handle this.”

“It’s okay, let’s go.”

Makoto held her hand and walked her to the door, Yusuke and Ryuji followed them but Futaba didn’t move. She stood on her place, crying in silence as the others approached Akechi.

“Move.” Makoto’s eyes were powerful enough to reduce someone to a babbling mess.

Everyone but Akechi.

He took a step aside and let them open the door, they left without looking back and in that moment Akira realized he was right. They didn’t understand his reason, they didn’t comprehend the situation. They were blinded by their ideals and for someone like Akira, with the things he had done, that wasn’t a place he could call home.

Futaba remained in the room, it made him wonder if this was planned, they probably discussed how to address him before barging into the studio and making a mess. She walked closer to Akira after the door closed making the other shrink against his shoulders, getting ready for another hit.

“I won’t hit you,” she babbled, tears kept falling from her eyes. She was an ugly crier which would’ve been a great joke if they still were friends.

“Then talk.” Akechi said, his hand around the doorknob twitched.

“I wanted to tell you that I don’t understand your reasons but still I want you to know that as much as you helped me back then when I was isolated, I want to help you too. I know you can’t see it now but you’re falling into a path none of us can’t take; not even him.” She pointed at the detective’s figure, Akira saw him roll his eyes before sighing. “If you ever need my help, you know how to contact me. I will be there, Akira.”

He nodded, his cold facade didn’t move not even when Futaba stopped herself from trying to hug him. She opened her mouth to say something but then she sprinted to the hallway, pushing Akechi aside and leaving the room and the two boys alone.

Akira’s back hit the wall with an empty sound a second after the door closed, he covered his face with his hands and started to sob loudly — heart shattered against the floor he was laying now. He prepared himself for this moment since he said yes to Akechi’s proposal but still, he curled against his knees and cried like a lost child abandoned by his loved ones. Except it was him the one who did it, it was his fault and now he had to face the consequences of his destructive acts.

He completely forgot about Akechi’s presence until he heard footsteps coming closer to his position. Two hands closed around his biceps and soothed him, he could almost feel the uncharacteristic condescending look coming from the detective’s eyes. Since the interrogation room, he started to change around him as much as he grow fond of building castle walls around his heart. Both were changing and Akira couldn’t be more tired of new beginnings that only made him feel like a clueless fool.

Akechi didn’t say a word, he only held him tight as Akira cried his heart out. Tears burning their way out of his eyes and down his cheeks; everything hurt. He wanted it to end, he wanted it gone. It was all Shido’s fault, it was all his own fault; drowning guilt covered his lungs making it hard to breathe.

“Akira,” Akechi’s voice softened his crying, “please. Try to calm down, try to breathe.”

But he couldn’t.

He let go of his barriers, jumping forward and hugging Akechi until his injured fingers went numb. Something inside him tried to convince him it was also the detective’s fault but a blinded voice refused to acknowledge such slanders against the other boy. Still, the way his hands gripped Akechi reminded him of the way he used to hold shadows before slaying them into dust.

Akechi caressed his back and pressed him closer, Akira could almost feel the gun under his detective prince’s outfit. He started to get used to pretend that he didn’t care about these tiny details as much as Akechi liked to pretend that there was nothing worth addressing whenever their hands tangled under the sheets at midnight.

They both played the same game and Akira only wanted to cry and runaway after they completed their job.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.” He lied, pressing closer against the gun in between their chests.

He wondered who would be the one to pull the trigger first. He wondered if there was something he could win from it besides a broken heart, empty soul and pointless life. He wondered how it would feel to be completely alone after betraying the only person he had left; bloodstained hands holding the burning memories of what they could’ve been. He wondered and wondered until he reminded himself that nothing mattered anymore.

Nothing but their next target.


	5. one of these days your heart will be broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We have one day,” Akechi murmured, “are you confident?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I’m crowded with college works and I’m working on a commission so yeah. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

They left the TV station under one of those cold autumn rainstorms that had you shivering after being outside for less than five minutes.

Akira walked into the subway train soaking wet, eyes engulfed by swollen misery, red veins thundering inside and covering almost all the white; he barely felt alive at that point. Akechi made him sit as he stood in front of him, concealing his presence to the uninterested crowd. 

The detective kept his sight on black locks dripping down on the floor, Akira stopped sobbing long time ago but if he tried to let go of the air he was holding inside his lungs he would be bawling his eyes out again. Instead, he closed them and let his brain shut down for a few minutes.

He held his head down for the rest of their journey until they arrived, a hand closed around his bicep and dragged him out; the sky kept unleashing its fury on them. He didn’t realize he wasn’t wearing his glasses until they were a block away of Akechi’s place. 

It made him want to cry again.

Akechi didn’t say a word to him until they were alone at the elevator, face contorted into a vague gesture of compassion. The mirrors around them reflected his image, he blamed it on the lack of glasses but he couldn’t find a difference, not a wrinkle or something that could unravel his masquerade. 

“I didn’t want things to end like this but I can comprehend their rage. I’m sure you do too.”

Akira couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh.

“You didn’t want things to end like _this_?” he pushed his hair out of his face, it hurt that he couldn’t see through his words. Maybe he was telling the truth. 

_Or maybe I’m a blinded fool_ , he thought.

“I wanted the Thieves to end, that I can’t deny. I didn’t want them to hate you though.”

“I deserve their hate.”

“You’re doing what’s right for you, you’re taking your own path instead of letting them keep you on a leash and preach you about fairness and good payback.” Akechi walked out of the elevator and Akira followed him from behind. “There’s no such thing as _good_ payback, Akira. Payback is ruthless, consuming, abrasive… it takes your heart out of your chest and it forces you to chew it.”

“They aren’t bad people, they’re naive and sometimes they let their actions be defined by their own perception of justice. We are all like that.”

Akechi opened the door and they walked inside. He almost sprinted at the bathroom, he came out seconds after with two towels; tossing one to the other boy. 

“That’s the problem: they aren’t bad people,” the detective said trying to push the rain away from his hair, “they would never get their hands bloody for the right cause.”

“We aren’t bad people either,” Akira pressed the towel against his cheeks, “we are playing the cards we were dealt. That’s it.”

“What a poor excuse for someone who didn’t hesitate to burn a body down.”

Akira stared at the towel before letting it against the couch. Akechi looked at him, inquiring without words.

“I will take a shower.” 

The detective nodded and the conversation ended right there and for the rest of the night.

The next day, Akira decided to focus on his mission and he told Akechi about buying guns and medicine from his old friends; they gave him a discount and he didn’t have much money to spend since he was an official dead person. The detective agreed, almost out of pity and probably trying to help him see that even if the Thieves hated him at least he had other people to rely on.

Iwai didn’t say a word about their conversation from the day before but he made sure to ask Akira about his stance before he left the store. He was confident about it, there was no other way and if there is something he knows is that having a plan B is always a good decision. It was a comment that slipped away when he was panicking and as the guns aimed to his head he told him about needing a new beginning after Shido’s death. He was part of the mafia, he knew that Iwai knew people who could help him disappear or start all over again; it surprised him that he said yes.

Akechi didn’t have to know, he only thought about their plan and their alibi and seeing his father suffer in front of him. He didn’t even think about the day after and the one after that, he had a life though — Akira was only a ghost. He was going to keep on working as a detective and as a public figure meanwhile Akira would rot away in a corner of his apartment too sad to even function or until Akechi’s brain flipped a switch and murdered him before he confessed their crimes. He didn’t like either choice, so he had to make a new one.

As Akechi spread the guns and bullets all over his living room table Akira thought about telling him to leave with him. He usually let his brain roam around those delirious thoughts before he fell asleep but now, seeing him with his hair up and his favorite t-shirt from some comic superhero he couldn’t help but think he wouldn’t mind seeing him like this everyday for the rest of his life. He wouldn’t even mind the bullet inside his heart if he ever wanted to dispose of him.

“We have one day,” Akechi murmured, “are you confident?”

Akira shrugged. 

“It is not just another heist, do you get that right?” Akechi pressed him, he started checking on the guns and playing with them. Hands easily taking control and maneuvering a pistol, his eyes illuminated for a few seconds.

“I get it. I just think that if what you said about him having a shadow version of you is real then I may have some complications.”

“I can back you up if you want.”

“No,” Akira took the pistol from Akechi’s hand and started toying with it too, “your alibi is more important than my safety.”

He made a face at his words, a warm hand closed around his fingers. Akira double checked if the safety was on.

“That’s not true.” Akechi tangled his fingers around Akira’s as his eyes stared intensely at him; reading him like an open book. “If you die, everything will be for nothing. Akira look,” the pressure on his fingers tightened, “you may think I’m only using you and you’re right. I’m using you. I’m using you to fulfill a vendetta against the bastard who cursed my whole existence.”

Akira sighed. Head dropping to their hands intertwined against the gun, it was almost poetic and that made him want to puke all over their maps and notes.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.” 

Akechi closed the distance, their faces were centimeters away from the other. The way his eyelashes curled at the tips made him feel dizziness. 

The detective’s hand quickly removed the safety lock, the gun aimed directly to his chest. Akira’s heart rate increased, he was holding the gun in place but he refused to come closer to the trigger.

“Goro...”

“I need you to see that I trust you, Akira.”

“This is not the way,” his palms started sweating, he couldn’t help but focus on the other’s lips. He wanted to close the gap but he had to press the gun deeper into his abdomen and he wasn’t going to take that risk. “I know you trust me but this is not the way.”

Akechi smiled, white pearls shone under the bright light hanging on top of them giving him a sinister appearance.

“There’s no other way. I’m laying my life at your feet, it’s the greatest risk I could take.”

“That’s not true.” 

Akira took control of the pistol, his brain disconnected from his heart as he pushed it aside easily and closed the gap in between their lips. It was a poor attempt, he could do better than this but with his whole body trembling and a table in between their figures he couldn’t help it.

The hands that once were holding the weapon now closed around the detective’s shirt, pulling him with force. Akechi moved his lips and Akira followed him; it tasted like hatred, rivalry. It felt like screaming told you so to someone you despise.

Neither of them closed their eyes, despite it all.

Akira pushed him apart a second afterwards, their eyes followed the other’s in a thunderous silence. 

They started to reload the guns, saving the knives and packing the maps into a simple bag. The medicine seemed to be in order as Akira placed them back into the fridge; Takemi always helped him when he needed her the most and this time he was glad she didn’t ask him way too many questions.

As he saw the light turning off, his lips started itching, two fingers caressed the skin. He didn’t regret it, he lamented that his fear got the best of him. Tonight was the worst time to spill his guts and feelings all over Akechi’s shoulders.

He came back to the living room, Akechi was staring at him as if nothing changed. Akira’s heart twitched at the indifference.

“You may be right,” The detective said.

Akira’s eyebrows furrowed, “Huh?”

“Your move was riskier than mine.” 

Akechi walked close to him slowly, almost as if he was walking on broken glasses and it hurt his feet. A shaky hand rested against his cheek before carefully going down to his throat; there was no pressure but it made him catch on his breath.

“We will talk about that after the mission,” his thumb pressed against his pulse. “Only if you want.”

“Do you want to?” Akira’s hand circled Akechi’s wrist and moved him aside, he didn’t let go of his eyes. 

“Yes.” 

“Fine by me then.”

They let go of each other before walking away. Akira doubted that he was going to be able to sleep after this but he didn’t mind that much. Somehow his senses sharpened when he worked with less than 5 hours of sleep; he considered it a gift.

Akechi’s figure disappeared into his room, lights turning off minutes later. Akira sat there in the dark until his eyes got used to the shadows, then he got up and started to lurk into their stuff. Looking for something, looking for an answer to calm his restless head.

He removed the pistol they held before and let it rest against his palm. He didn’t want to check if it was loaded, he knew better than that but he did it anyway.

He saved it back into its place before going back to the couch. The night washed away his consciousness but it couldn’t remove the tingling around his lips.

* * *

“If you don’t leave the palace before I kill him, you will collapse alongside it.” Akechi reminded him, the sun setting on the horizon made his eyes turn reddish as wildfire. His pretty face morphing into cold marble, something inside Akira told him he was as ready as he would be.

He nodded, staring at the big fancy building in front of him. He was ready too.

A hand cupped his before he initiated the navigation, startling him and almost making him drop his phone. Akechi’s gaze met his as he felt a different weight on his palm, fingers instantly closing around a familiar figure.

Akechi’s ray gun.

“It’s named after—“

“The brightest star. I know.” Akira handled it back. “It fits you more than me right now.”

Akechi pushed it back against his palm, both of his hands closing around Akira’s, “No. You don’t understand. I want you to use it for me.” Akira stared at the gun, he remembered the night he got it from Iwai; it felt too far away at that moment. “Kill him with this gun, do what you please to him before. But let the last shot come from this gun.”

Akira nodded again, hiding the raygun under his clothes as Akechi’s hands let him go. He picked his phone again, unlocking it and staring at the other one last time.

“Any other request?” Despite the amount of anxiety he felt at the moment, his heartbeat remained calm.

“Don’t die.”

Akechi walked away, his final words floating around them with the evening’s breeze as Akira stared at his figure with a smile plastered on his lips.

As he initiated the navigation and the world around him started to sink into an ocean of greed and misery, he saw the detective turning around to check on him. He memorized him, standing high on the Diet Building’s stairs as if he belonged there since he was born — even his own personal darkness perfectly blended with the one hiding in the corners of every hall. A shy, almost playful, smirk escaped from his lips and Akira’s heart fluttered at the sight. He knew what it meant, he knew it was an unspoken promise between them — one they never got to make because they took a different path from whatever their fate wanted them to face.

A promise of revenge and freedom. One they were about to take with their own hands and teeth, no apologies in between.

Akira found himself at the deck of Shido’s palace then, Akechi’s image long gone alongside the whole city around him. He gave one last look at the fainting blue coming from a blurry prison cell door as he walked inside the ship. One hand closed around Akechi’s gun while he pushed the door open, eyes fixed on the road he had to take to the chamber where Shido awaited.

“It’s showtime.” He whispered to himself, letting the fictional crowd stare at him way too long as he walked past them.


	6. all we’re is bullets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira didn’t hide his smile.
> 
> Not when the ruler of the palace started to look around, panic settling on his facial expression. Not when he started descending from the stairs with his hands open wide, an obscene taunt to the man who ruined his life. Not when he saw him coming from the shadows, guarded by two shadows who looked like beasts out of a horror book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me a long time to write. I was taking finals and working on a commission. It will start getting angsty after this and for the next chapters. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The clock ticking over Shido’s head started to reach past 6:30 P.M. making Akechi’s anxiety spike at the lack of “symptoms” or changes around him. 

He closed his hands on fists. He was standing right there in front of his target and he couldn’t do anything but wait for Akira’s success or failure. Something inside him claimed the first one but he was ready to act if the second scenario unfolded in front of his eyes.

He sent him to kill Shido without backup, a mission he wasn’t able to achieve as Black Mask, not even with the high amount of information he had. It was suicidal, but Akechi started to develop some sort of faith for Akira’s skills after these months together. 

Even though faith didn’t suit him, he could make an exception for today.

“Can you bring me some coffee since you’re standing there like a mannequin doing nothing?”

Shido’s voice startled him, he wasn’t even able to reply with a snarky remark; instead he faked a smile and made his way to the hallway. The cameras followed his figure until he stopped in front of the coffee machine, hands reaching inside his coat.

_ “I will use this to lower his defenses,” Akechi waved a sleeping pill in front of Akira’s glasses, “it’s pretty effective but I’m not sure how it will work with coffee in the bloodstream.” _

_ “We can try it now.”  _

_ Akira took the pill from his fingers then his mug and swallowed it in one sip in front of Akechi’s perplexed stare. _

_ “ARE YOU STUPID?!” _

_ “It's 8:00 P.M.” he said, completely ignoring him, “check the time so we make sure to calculate it correctly.”  _

_ Akechi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and moving his head from side to side.  _

“I have 30 minutes.” 

He went back to Shido’s office, he tried to suppress a smile at the memory of Akira passing out on the table while they were playing chess. It was really effective, Akechi hoped it would help him to finish Shido off inside his own palace. 

His boss — his  _ father _ drank the coffee and focused on his papers again as Akechi went back to staring at the clock. 

* * *

Akira stared at the figure giving a speech in front of an illusory crowd and wished he had a sniper rifle with him. It would’ve made everything easier but he made a promise.

He stood there in the shadows as he looked for a way to reach him, guards patrolled the stairs and the doors but he didn’t see  _ him _ . He knew Akechi had a shadow version of himself inside Shido’s palace, they didn’t see him but it was a safe deduction.

He had to face him first before Shido.

Minutes went by and the speech kept repeating but sometimes some words or quotes changed and he guessed he was reading it or practicing it outside the palace. It was full of lies and deception, it made him want to throw up. The people kept the applause and the plastic smiles on, some of them chanted Shido’s name and stood up to show him support.

He didn’t realize when the guards started disappearing until everyone did. The perception changed and now Shido stood there in an empty congress room, he looked like a sleepwalker. 

Akira didn’t hide his smile.

Not when the ruler of the palace started to look around, panic settling on his facial expression. Not when he started descending from the stairs with his hands open wide, an obscene taunt to the man who ruined his life. Not when he saw  _ him  _ coming from the shadows, guarded by two shadows who looked like beasts out of a horror book. 

“Who are you?” Shido dragged the words, the pills started to weaken his defenses.

Akira kept his eyes on Akechi’s shadow. 

“I’m not surprised that you’re unable to recognize me,” he took his mask off and tossed it aside, “you took everything from me but I was just another pawn to sacrifice in your miserable life. Another fool to blame for your mistakes.”

Shido didn’t reply for a long minute until something clicked inside his head. Akira waited for something else but he didn’t say anything, he just looked at the twisted version of Akechi and nodded. 

The void inside Akira’s heart got bigger. He didn’t care about retribution until his life was shattered in front of his eyes and right then facing the man who did that not giving him an answer ignited the fire inside his soul. 

Akechi sent the shadows at him as he summoned Arsene. They weren’t a match for his rage.

“You sent your son to fight me?!” Akira’s face got distorted by disgust, blade sinking deep into a shadow’s neck. “After all, you’re still a coward who can’t even assume his own responsibilities. This is the last time you’ll be able to use your legs so, go ahead, try to escape from me.”

Akechi’s shadow turned around to Shido, giving Akira enough time to launch himself and pin him against the floor. Knee resting against the shadow’s throat as he took the gun from under his coat.

The gunshot broke the silence before Shido yelling did. He fell against the floor holding his knee with both hands — Akira’s eyes lit up at the sight.

He looked down then, to the copy of his partner in crime. He recalled the dozen of mementos requests he made with the Thieves and something inside him pushed him to try it even though he knew how it was going to end.

“He is your father, Akechi! He is only using you!”

Akechi’s voice was interrupted by Shido’s.

“My son? That miserable piece of trash is my son?!”

Akira fired again, this time hitting him on the shoulder. 

“If you talk one more time, you die.”

Shido cried out loud before obeying Akira’s command, it allowed him to focus on Akechi’s figure trying to break free. His eyes were yellow, glowing like Morgana’s eyes used to, but his face was as beautiful as the real Akechi’s face. 

“Help me kill him. Don’t fall for his manipulations and get your revenge. We can walk away after this, you and me, and we can find a new city to live  _ together _ . Listen…” his eyes filled up with tears, “Akechi, I… I contacted a friend and he’s willing to help me— help  _ us _ to escape from this nightmare. I think we can figure out a way to make us both disappear. We can start over, away from adults who manipulated us, away from friends who left us. It will be just us.”

Akechi’s shadow opened his mouth, his breathing getting difficult with every passing second.

“I-I don’t…” 

He pointed at Akira’s knee with one hand and he reduced the pressure on his throat.

“I don’t even know you.”

Another gunshot broke the silence one more time but this time it was followed by Akira’s scream. Tears fell from his eyes as blood poured out from his shoulder. He aimed his gun and fired back, Akechi’s shadow disappeared but the image of his face with a bullet stuck inside his skull didn’t leave Akira’s mind as he stood up.

“Fuck!”

He couldn’t move his arm and Shido started to laugh. It hurts, his brain repeated, It hurts a lot. He saw the blood dripping down his arm and crashing against the floor followed by his tears; he couldn’t figure out the reason behind them. Everything started to get blurry, he tried to fight his body from going into a shock but he didn’t even know how.

He felt completely and utterly alone.

“I should hire you instead of that piece of shit. At least you’re able to do the work right.”

Akira stared at the figure bleeding next to him, he looked too pale to be alive. His eyes lazily traced a path to his own reflection on an oversized gold statue in front of him and couldn’t pinpoint the difference between the broken down villain and the fallen hero barely standing by his side.

“If you let me live, I will help you. I promise, you have my word. I’m going to win the elections in a few days, trust me! I can make you rich or give you anything you want!”

Akira pulled the trigger thanking Akechi for not immobilizing both of his arms. The palace started to crumble as soon as Shido died, a bullet crossed through his eye and Akira dragged his feet closer to put another one inside the other before the body disappeared.

He saved the gun and pressed his hand against his injury, blood kept spurting out making him dizzy. It was going to be a fun ride back to reality, he thought as he made his way out.

* * *

Shido is dead.

Akechi took a deep breath and smiled, a smile that started at the bottom of his heart and ended in the last spark shining inside his eyes.

_ Shido is dead. Shido is dead. Shido is dead. _

He covered his mouth with a gloved hand and looked down, paramedics took the body out of the building as a few associates from his now dead father approached him.

“Do you think it was the Thieves?” asked one.

“It looks more like one of the jobs we used to hire,” said the other, “Akechi. You were with him, do you think the Thieves could’ve figured out a way to do  _ that _ ?”

Now he needed to reunite with Akira in the back alley a few blocks away. He held his suitcase closely to him, fully aware of the content saved — he had a lot of time to steal documents as his father begged him for help. It was a pleasant sight to see as he collected years of investigation about the Metaverse, about his targets, about Shido’s allies and everything else. He had so much power now that his father was finally dead.

“Akechi?”

The detective jumped back into reality.

“I… I’m sorry,” he made a motion of pushing his tears away, “I think it is possible. When he started to collapse he seemed to know what was going on. He…” Akechi covered his mouth, hiding a smile, “he told me a lot of stuff. I need to talk with his lawyers first.”

The men around him seemed to be suspicious of his last words but they didn’t inquire for more information. Akechi was disappointed, he wanted everyone to know.

He wanted them to know that he made Shido sign a document recognizing him as his only successor in an empty promise of being saved. He wanted them to know that everything that Shido owned belonged to him now. He wanted them to know that he took everything from the man who destroyed his life. He wanted everyone to know that he won. 

He won.

He left the Diet Building calmly, trying to play his part for the press around the area until he was far away from them and then he started running. He needed to see  _ him _ , his heart rushed him to their meeting place and for the first time in a long, long time he could feel his lungs filling up with air and freedom. 

Akechi smiled as he walked into the alley, it was dark already and he couldn’t see much but he kept his happiness on his face. 

“Akira? Are you here?”

There was no answer.

“For fuck’s sake, don’t tell me you’re trying to play a prank on me. Come on, let’s go home.”

A weak noise came from his right. He didn’t pay attention, there were rats around every part of the city.

“Akira, this is the last warning. I know you’re here, now come out or I will leave without you.”

More ruffling, plastic bags moved as an empty can rolled right next to Akechi’s shoe and then, “Goro…”

The detective redirected his eyes to the figure bleeding out in between the dirt. Akira’s face was pale, his Joker suit and confidence long gone with Shido’s palace. There was only a young boy sobbing in the dark of the night, bloody hands pressed against his shoulder.

Akechi’s heart felt like it was squished. He ran to Akira, suitcase falling against the alley’s floor, he tried to put him back on his feet but it didn’t work.

Akira was too weak.

“Who did this? Was it Shido?”

“No, it was… your shadow.” Akira let out a small chuckle. “I can’t stand…”

“Well, find a way because you need medical attention.”

Akira’s hands tried to push him away but he didn’t even move. 

“This is it, Goro. I don’t have anything else to live.”

“How dare you?!” Akechi’s eyes were engulfed by rage, tears started to fall. Some of them landed on Akira’s cheeks. “How dare you say that after everything?!”

He lowered his head again, Akechi couldn’t see but he knew he was crying too.

“I lost everything. My life, my friends, my family. I don’t have anything else. Let me die.”

Akechi kneeled in front of him, he pushed his clothes away trying to avoid Akira’s eyes from seeing the pain on his face. He wanted to punch him so badly, he wanted him to come back to reality but deep down he recognized he was right.

The only person left in Akira’s life was him but he took everything from him. He destroyed his life. He made him a killer. He wasn’t enough to take the place of the people he lost because he lacked what they had.

He wasn’t enough for him.

Akechi took Akira’s phone and went straight into the contacts list. He stopped when he saw the picture followed by the name of the person he was looking for.

“I have bad news for you, Akira. I refuse to let you die yet.”


	7. meet me in the afterglow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He remembered Shido’s crumbling palace, he remembered the bullet fixed onto Akechi’s shadow as it vanished from his sight, he remembered his final words and he wished he didn’t remember the emptiness he felt right before collapsing against a pile of trash bags.
> 
> Shido is dead, he thought and the hole inside his chest didn’t vanish. Shido is dead and everything remains the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the final one.  
> I really loved writing this fic, I hope you can forgive me for the angst but it had to be this way.  
> Enjoy!

“He lost a lot of blood.” 

A woman’s voice explained from afar. 

Akira’s consciousness came back for a fleeting moment, he tried to open his eyes but a blinding lamp seemed to be pointing directly into his face, forbidding him from trying to figure out what was going on.

He remembered Shido’s crumbling palace, he remembered the bullet fixed onto Akechi’s shadow as it vanished from his sight, he remembered his final words and he wished he didn’t remember the emptiness he felt right before collapsing against a pile of trash bags.

Shido is dead, he thought and the hole inside his chest didn’t vanish. Shido is dead and everything remains the same.

“Thankfully your blood type is the same as him,” he recognized Tae’s voice as it pierced right into his brain; every noise seemed to hurt his senses, “we were lucky, for once. He will have to stay here though.”

“For how long?”

Akechi’s voice made him spiral into despair; a corpse with a bullet into its skull staring at his eyes after he pulled the trigger. He didn’t hear anything else as he faded into black waters.

He lost everything. 

“But Shido is dead!” he kept repeating to himself over and over again as if he had another Akira dedicated to remind him that the man who destroyed his life didn’t exist.

“You destroyed your own life,” Akira number three pointed, “it went downhill from the moment you held his hand and dived into the darkness.”

“I had to.” He fought back.

“No, you didn’t.” Both Akiras replied.

He rolled his eyes, they wouldn’t be able to understand.

“We are you, we understand.”

“I doubt I understand it myself,” his head started hurting again, “all I know is that I did what I had to do and now everything’s over.”

His other selves seemed to agree for once.

A piercing pain across his shoulder pushed him out of the self made hell he was experiencing. He opened his eyes and this time the lights didn’t blind him much, in fact, he managed to see the figure next to him holding his hand.

“Tae…” he mumbled at the young doctor, she reached to caress his cheeks and smiled.

“You’re such a reckless boy,” anger didn’t reach her eyes making his stomach feel less heavy, “I wish I could yell at you so many things but you’re safe for now.”

“Thanks. Where is he?”

“Work? He spends the night here and leaves as soon as I appear in front of the door. He’s taking care of the final details of Shido’s death, apparently he’s the only one who’s going to benefit from the inheritance.”

Akira saw around him slowly, his head still weighed as much as a whale. He was at Tae’s clinic and everything smelled like hospital and medicine, making him feel nauseous. He stared at the needle piercing his hand, it hurt him but he guessed it was necessary.

“You’ve been sleeping for almost two days,” Tae said, “I couldn’t call anyone. If you died on me, I would’ve brought you back from heaven and killed you again.”

Akira giggled even though the pain was unbearable, “I’m not sure I’m going to heaven, Tae. I think you don’t know what I did.”

“Oh, I know. Trust me,” she smiled back, “I know everything. I threatened your boyfriend when he appeared in front of my door with you bleeding out, he had you on his back and he begged me to save you. At first I was mad because I thought you died, remember? You died and never called me after that to say ‘Tae, I’m not dead! Don’t worry!’” 

“I’m sorry.”

“You will be. Anyways,” she sighed, “he told me he needed you and not in a ‘I need this person alive because I’m using them’ but I suppose you know that.” He didn’t but he didn’t let it show how much joy it brought him. “He was crying, at some point I’m sure he cried and then I said ‘fine but you have to tell me everything’. As I was taking care of your wounds, he explained it all.”

She made a pause and then her eyes turned cold.

“Akira,” she said, “killing someone is something that changes you forever. I spent years believing I did that and it didn’t let me sleep at night. I know your case is different but I want you to know that I hope it’s the last time. Next time I will refuse to help you. It doesn’t matter how much your boyfriend cries in front of my office.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Killing in the name of someone and almost losing your life for them isn’t something a friend does. That’s love,” she stood up, “a dangerous love.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure anymore.”

Tae walked to the door, “I’m going to buy some supplies now that you’re awake, you will be okay. Try to sleep and remember what I told you.”

“I will,” he whispered as he heard her steps leaving the building, “I promise.”

Hours went by, Tae walked to check on him and left to the front of the clinic from time on time. She helped Akira to sit and to walk to the bathroom, thankfully she was strong enough to carry most of his weight since he was too dizzy from the blood loss. His shoulder hurt way too much and when she changed the bandages he saw how the skin seemed to be purple and swollen all around the stitches; he was convinced that it was going to leave a nasty scar.

Akechi arrived at around 8 P.M. with his casual clothes and a big amount of folders under his arm. He jumped at the sight of Akira’s state and also by the fact that he was being fed by Tae.

“You’re awake!” 

Akechi’s eyes sparkled with energy as he tossed the folders onto the nearest table and ran to Akira’s side. Tae took a spoon of red jelly and positioned it on Akira’s lips.

“Hmm,” Akira mumbled while chewing, “sadly, I am awake and very tired”

Tae and Akechi rolled their eyes.

“Since you’re here I can leave,” she said standing up and pushing the spoon and bowl onto Akechi’s hands, “feed him that only bowl and then make sure he takes the painkillers. One now and the other at 3 A.M.” 

Akechi watched her pick up her stuff and leave with a wave of her hand. The door of the clinic closed as keys ruffled against the lock; Tae left and they were alone. Akira saw how Akechi sat next to him, on the chair the doctor just left in front of the bed, and repeated the motions he just saw, carefully taking a piece of jelly and letting it slide through Akira’s lips.

“Can you just do this by yourself?” He asked and Akira moved his head from side to side, it hurt a little bit less than this morning.

“I can hold the bowl or the spoon but not both,” he smiled at the boy in front of him before opening his mouth. “If I knew killing Shido involved being fed by a pretty boy and a beautiful woman, I would’ve killed him sooner.”

Akechi made a face at his words, Akira wanted to laugh but he didn’t want his whole body to hurt.

“It seems you’re okay,” Akechi’s eyes softened, “I’m glad. I truly am.”

Akira caressed Akechi’s cheeks with his good hand, it made his stomach flutter at the feeling of the other leaning his head against his palm.

“Sorry for making you worry.”

“I’m getting used to it,” Akechi smiled, “as long as you’re okay, I can handle it.”

“Are you safe?”

Akechi nodded.

“Are you sure?”

He nodded again.

“Is there s—“

But he couldn’t finish. Akechi’s lips pressed onto his, a sweet and almost awkward kiss. Akira melted against his mouth, sighing at the feeling of the other deepening it. 

They kissed and kissed until they forgot to breathe, until both were panting with their foreheads pressed together. Their cheeks flushed and their hearts accelerated.

“We did it,” Akechi whispered before kissing him one more time, “we won, Akira. We’re free.”

“Yes,” he replied, “it’s over.”

They kept talking the whole night. 

At some point Akira fell asleep and woke up at the sight of Akechi reading documents, he looked better than before. He seemed to be more confident and younger, the pressure from his father now finally gone from his shoulders. It gave Akira some sort of peace, knowing that everything was going to be okay for his partner in crime.

It made him forget about his own destiny for a few weeks. 

When Tae told him he was going to stay one more night, he asked her for a phone to make a very important call and after dangerous threats, he decided to let her know about his plan. 

“So, you’re leaving to who knows where and you’re going to start all over again but you’re not going to let him join you?”

Akira nodded.

“That’s a shitty thing to do, Akira. He cares for you, he deserves to know where you’re going and how to contact you.”

“He has everything here, Tae. Now he owns everything Shido used to own, he is even more famous than before and I am nothing. I’m not even alive.”

“Are you going to leave him a letter or something at least?”

“Maybe,” his eyes focused on the pile of comic books Akechi left around for him to read while he was recovering, “I don’t even know what to say.”

Tae sighed. 

“What do you want to hear from him?”

Akira’s eyes burned with tears, “I don’t know, Tae. I’m only seventeen, I barely know how this world works. How am I supposed to deal with this mess?”

The doctor reached closer and covered his body with her arms, softly. Almost motherly.

“You will learn to. I promise.”

Akira sobbed for what seemed to be hours, she didn’t move from his side. Then she handed him the phone and he let her know about his plan because he wanted to. Because he knew he wasn’t going to be able to let Akechi know and because he knew she was going to tell him even if Akira asked her to keep her mouth shut.

Akechi seemed to be happier that night. He fluttered around him like a child knowing Christmas arrived soon. He kissed Akira on the lips before laying next to him; the bed was way too small but they managed to fit in together.

“I got an apartment,” Akechi told him, “one of Shido’s apartments. I spent these past weeks changing the furniture and settling my stuff there.”

“Are you selling your old place?”

“Yes, it was a nice apartment but this one is closer to the station and it’s bigger,” he paused and then stared at him, “for both of us. If you want to.”

Akira’s heart almost collapsed at the sight of Akechi’s eyes shining with hopes and dreams for the first time since he met him. He didn’t want this to end but he knew it was inevitable.

“I want to.”

And he wasn’t lying.

He wanted to live with him and wake up next to him, he wanted to hold his hand and kiss him until late at night. For the first time he found his place in the world but for now, he had to give it up.

It was the best for him. For both.

Akechi held him close for the rest of the night, their lips finding a way to be joined with the other’s for hours. It was almost peaceful, it was almost as if he already knew this was their last time together by the way they touched each other.

Akira gripped him by the shoulder as he crumbled by the movements of his hands, he always acted so confident but right then they were two boys pretending to know what to do.

“Can I see your injury?” Akechi asked him moments after, his messy hair falling all over his eyes and sticking to his forehead.

Akira nodded and pushed the blanket low enough for him to be able to see his torso. Akechi carefully reached to remove the bandages and looked way too close to the bruised skin.

“It is healed.”

“I think it will leave a scar.”

“Yeah,” Akechi placed the bandages in place again, “totally but in my opinion, scars are sexy.”

Akira huffed.

“How? Was it…” He didn’t finish but Akira understood, he tangled their fingers and closed his eyes.

“It was your shadow. I was stupid, I tried to bargain with him but he didn’t even know me.”

“Sounds like something I would do.”

“Not actually,” he smiled, “if you were like that then I would be dead by now, laying dead in that alley when I accepted your proposal.”

“I thought you were joking but then you confessed that you knew about me wanting to betray you. I had two choices and I decided to let you join me. It was the right one, thankfully.”

Sleep started to settle on Akira’s eyelids as Akechi kept talking about a time that seemed to be more a myth than reality. Akira only hummed whenever he asked him questions, letting him know he was still there hearing his voice despite not being paying attention to his words.

“Akira,” he asked, “do you see a blue door whenever you get into the Metaverse?”

He wanted to reply but he fell asleep as soon as he tried to open his mouth.

_ No. I don’t remember ever seeing one. _

* * *

  
  
  


The bridge to leave the city separated him from his old self and his new self.

He held suitcases in both hands as he walked closer to the man waiting for him inside a van. Iwai let him know it was going to be okay, he was going to try and find a way to travel to wherever he was headed to before the weekend arrived. Before he left the store, he handed him a lot of certificates and identification cards, a passport and way too much money.

“Amamiya Ren?” The man from inside the van startled him.

“Uh,” Akira had to get used to his new name, “yes. Where do I drop this?”

“Here,” the man walked out of the driver’s seat to open the van’s door for him, “there’s plenty of space, kid. You will be comfortable.”

Akira placed the suitcases inside and he was about to jump inside and close the door without looking back when he heard an engine in the distance; approaching.

He didn’t even have to turn around to know what was going to happen next.

“I will handle this,” he said to the driver before staring at the figures from the other side of the bridge.

He walked to them but he wasn’t strong enough to cross past the half closer to the city he was about to leave. He made his mind weeks ago, nothing could make him stay.

“I’m sorry,” Takemi said as she turned off the engine of her motorcycle, “I had to. I couldn’t let you leave without talking to him.”

“Thank you, Tae.”

Akechi’s eyes seemed so different from the sparkly ones he saw the night before. When he left for work he promised Akira to come back early so they could have dinner together before moving to their new apartment.

Akira left the clinic, met with Iwai and made his way to the meeting point. His hands or words didn’t stutter, his resolution was unshakable.

“I will leave you two to talk.” 

She walked away from them, tears filling her eyes.

Akechi had his back at him, his long hair swinging alongside the wind. It was one of the most beautiful sights Akira ever saw since he put a foot into this cursed city.

“I understand how you feel,” he didn’t turn around, orangish tones painted his profile, “since I was born I was always a ghost. I haunt everyone’s life until they disappear from mine. I did the same to you and it wouldn’t surprise me if you wanted to leave too.”

Akira took a step closer to him, he extended his hand only to retreat it seconds later. He didn’t know what to say, he knew Akechi’s past and how much it chained his soul to the point of making him take a path of revenge.

“I can’t stay in this city anymore, I can’t come back to my town either...” “I’m not asking you to stay, Akira.” 

He turned around, tears made his eyes glow with despair making Akira’s heart clench. “I dragged you to this mess. I don’t have the right to ask you that.”

He felt the world collapsing around him but still, Akira extended his hand again. Akechi stared at it, tears rolling down his cheeks as he took it, squeezing it with a kindness unliked to the boy who was made of rough edges only.

“I’m always going to be right here,” Akira whispered, “you will always know my location.”

He lied and he saw how Akechi believed him.

They hugged there. On that lonely bridge, sunset warming their hearts and tears rolling down their cheeks. It didn’t last more than a few minutes but they could agree it wasn’t enough time to say goodbye.

As Akira walked away, he wished for something he would never say out loud. He prayed to hear those words coming out loud from Akechi’s mouth before leaving for good.

But nothing happened.

He stared back at his partner, his friend, his lover and smiled, a pure smile that only a soulmate could understand and the boy smiled back at him. And he knew, in that moment as his heart shattered into pieces, that it was already too late for both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how many chapters this is going to have but I already have written the final one, the problem is the whole middle which is A Mess. I've had this idea stuck in my head and I even made a playlist for it so, I decided to post it. It's an AU so it won't get in the akeshu series I'm making but it's there because it's akeshu.  
> I hope you enjoy ♥


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